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My Oath–it’s pointless swearing at fish

A while ago I wrote a light-hearted article for a fishing magazine on the subject of swearing which seems to be deeply embedded in many fishermen. I thought I did pretty good job, till I read this…

“… what all this hoop-tidoo is leading up to is the uselessness of swearing at fish. Firstly it is rude. Secondly the fish can’t hear you. A good swear is sometimes effective and even therapeutic when it is directed at a tree that has decided that it can’t live without your line; a good swear might even work (though I doubt it) when directed loud enough at a bull that has just come up to make sure you aren’t about to start chatting up one of his cows; but no amount of effing and jeffing (as my old Gran used to call it) will upset, embarrass or discombobulate the fish that has just broken you off and swum off to fight another day.

Now not only is this discourteous to our quarry, it looks and sounds daft. What is a grown man doing shouting rude words at creature with its ears full of water.

My response to such a situation is to sit down, put my head in my hands and try to remember how to breathe. …”